Adam Boulton, the political editor of Sky News, has called for debates between the leaders of the main political parties during the next election campaign.

Chairing a debate on the relationship between politicians and the media and the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival today, Boulton said Sky News would be putting pressure on the three main parties in a bid to bring that about and would announce a series of initiatives on this over the next several days.

Boulton added that such debates would "re-energise" the political process. "It's a disgrace we don't have these debates" he said. "I think there will be leadership debates in this election. We at Sky News are doing all we can to bring them about."

Lance Price, a former Labour Party spin doctor, said he expected live debates to come, but doubted whether they would transform election campaigns. He added that in the US, where televised debates between presidential candidates have been taking place for decades, they were often stale.

"The candidates are so well briefed it is normally just a succession of soundbites written by someone else," Price said.

Chris Mullins MP, a former journalist and Labour minister who is now a backbencher, said that he did not accept the argument that political parties were the only ones guilty of using spin and manipulation. He added that journalists were far more irresponsible in this respect than politicians, and that lobby journalists were particulary irresponsible.

"There is a war on. The biggest spinners are the journalists. You have to run your finger down eight columns to find a slither of truth that supports … the headline," Mullins added.

Mullins blamed the "tabloid virus" for distorting the news and poisoning politicians' attempts to communicate directly with the public. He said this "virus" had spread to the so-called quality press.

"The tabloid virus is one of the biggest obstacles to communication between politicians and the electorate and the tabloid virus has spread out to the [broadsheets]. As soon as they get the smallest thing they go crazy about it," he added.

He also criticised the "mass hysteria" that breaks out in the press "when the slightest slither of difference is discovered between ministers".

Mullins also accused newspapers of adding the cost of MPs' offices expenses and administrative staff to their basic salaries and implying that they were paid far more than they are.

Heather Brooke, the freedom of information campaigner who broke the MPs' expenses story, said the reason that the British press were so obsessed with seemingly trivial and insignificant stories was because they received so little information.

"Information collected on behalf of the public at the public's expense is [not] made available to the public. I can't even get a detailed budget about my council," Brooke added.

Journalist and author Peter Oborne chastised most of the press, and broadcasters, for failing to adequately follow up the MPs' expenses story, accusing the Times of being in bed with "the establishment". He also singled out the BBC for criticism.

"The BBC [didn't] follow up a single one of these scandalous expenses stories ... about the theft of public money by the political classes," Oborne claimed.

Price said that "one of the jobs he was least proud of" in Downing Street was "telling intelligent, thoughtful minister they had to keep quiet about their intelligent thoughts".

"It's a shame we can't allow some ministers to indulge in free-thinking, particularly about future policy," he added.

He said that Mo Mowlam and Clare Short sprang to mind.

• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000.

• If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly "for publication"